


lion's den (with fallow deer)

by iamnotbrianmay



Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: (And Lesbians), Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Blood and Violence, F/F, Ghosts and Spirits, Golden Age of Piracy, Graphic Description of Corpses, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Inspired by Real Events, Lust Potion/Spell, M/M, Pirates, Sea Monsters, Sirens and mermaids, Swords, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-13 01:37:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21486199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamnotbrianmay/pseuds/iamnotbrianmay
Summary: She reached for the pendant hanging from her necklace, rubbing the small stone between her fingertips. She traced every wrinkle and blemish, thinking about the day that her Princess had given her the gem.Johana with her sweet smile and messy hair. Johana which had climbed up to the tallest rock in the beach to see if she could see the shiniest and prettiest crystal. The same Johana, who had been captured because of Brianna's carelessness.
Relationships: Freddie Mercury/Roger Taylor/Jim Hutton, John Deacon/Brian May
Comments: 16
Kudos: 32
Collections: Breaky Week





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Otherwise known as the Pirate!AU that absolutely nobody asked for but I had to give y'all because there is a concerning lack of pirates in the Queen fandom and I demand to be fed content. Even if it is my own content. 
> 
> Also, this meets the Breaky week requirements because of the prompt "Gifts" but I am not going to say anything else because that is a MAJOR spoiler.

The barely lit corridor smelled of death and saltwater. The only sounds that could be heard as the Captain's entourage walked through was the raging storm outside, and the moans and cries of despair of every single prisoner inside the cell block. Some knew better than to anger the Captain and consequently stayed quiet. Some others had heard about the tales of mercy for those wrongfully convicted, and so they pleaded— even if it was not their right to do so. 

A particularly loud crash of thunder made some of the prisoners whimper in fear of what was about to come. Still, the Captain's entourage kept walking, not sparing the unlucky men a single glance. A flash of lightning illuminated the cell block, briefly letting the crew appreciate the enormity of the cavern in which these men had been stuffed into. Hundreds, if not thousands, of cages, piled haphazardly on top of one another, giving the impression of being locked into one massive cell.

At the end of the long corridor, a single cell stood, and inside it was one prisoner who seemed particularly unfazed by the display of power by the crew of the _Queen Jane._ An odd sight, given the history. 

The four crewmen came to a stop right in front of the cage, casting odd shadows and illuminating the man's face. Even as they stared at him directly, he did not react. He stayed seated with twiddling thumbs and a downcast stare. The Captain lowered herself to his level, grabbing the bars and taking a good look at the prisoner, "Merlin's beard, Arthur, you truly look disgusting." 

The cellblock seemed to quiet down at her words, all prisoners wanting to listen to what the infamous Captain had to say. Arthur, however, didn't say anything, he just kept looking at his lap, trying not to meet her eyes. That didn't seem to please her, so she took out a dagger from her belt and used the tip to lift his chin, forcing him to look at her, "Would you at least pay attention when someone is talking to you. It's insulting not to do so." 

She let her blade slide, making a small cut on the man's chin. Now that his greasy hair wasn't covering his face, she could make out his features. His thick, bushy, eyebrows, his thin and chapped lips, the crooked nose that Brianna was sure she was responsible for, and the unkempt beard. She could see the man Arthur used to be, below the grime, the dark circles, and the broken spirit; and she couldn't find it in herself to care. 

"Where is she?" 

There was a long silence in which the only thing that could be heard was the rain pouring and the odd cough from one of the inmates. Arthur clenched his jaw, "Why should I know?" His voice was rough from disuse and from the illnesses he had faced while being locked away in this hell, "The Pearl barely had time to give me the money before you and your _ goons _ barged in." 

"My _goons _?" 

"Yes, the same ones who marched into my brothel, and sacked the place then burned it to—" 

She slammed her fists on the bars and leaned dangerously close to the man's face. He cringed away from her cold stare, acutely aware that she still held a sharp dagger, "That was _not a_ brothel, that was a whore house. You kept them there against their will, forcing them to do things they didn't want to do, you even _ sold _ them to a _Sex Dungeon." _

"And I'd do it again," he snarled, "People like her aren't worth _anything. _It's a miracle I even got to sell her for the price I did." 

The world seemed to hold it's breath, as they stared at each other with burning rage, "She was your _daughter _." 

"She was also a fool, who fraternised with a Sea Witch. Hardly anything for me to salvage. You're lucky, The Pearl's magic is much stronger than yours. Otherwise, I would have had to get rid of her in _other _ways." 

There was a flash in light when her knife caught on the reflection of the torches, and the gurgled sound of a dying man. However, when she pulled her hand back, Arthur was still alive, looking at her through wide, terrified, eyes. He was clutching his stomach around the dagger, as blood spilt into his clothing. He stared at her as she pursed her lips, the low light of the torches which her crewmen were holding made her face look ghastly. Long shadows which started on her prominent cheekbones and long lashes, making her look like those Angels of Death sailors were always warned about. 

"Pull the dagger out, and you'll die choked on your own blood," She cleaned the small drops of blood which had landed on her hands with his pants, "leave the dagger in, and you'll die of infection. I don't care what you chose; I only care that you will agonise over your decision." 

She stood up, looking around at the rest of the prisoners as they stared at her with curious eyes, waiting to see what her next move would be. Now that all of them had become accustomed to the light, they could see that she was _beautiful, _like the Princess of a long lost kingdom, with her sharp features and carefully braided hair. It seemed almost ridiculous to think that such a lovely lady would kill in cold blood. 

They left as a group, walking in unison and not sparing a glance to those who desperately pleaded for them to come back, for her to save them of the prison. They only halted before the cage of a man who didn't beg and cry like the rest of them were doing, just looked at her with hope in his eyes. For the second time that day, Captain Brianna May crouched down to look at one of the prisoners. And he bowed his head. 

"May you find what you are looking for, ma'am." 

The man could not have been older than her, with shaggy, black, hair, rags that could barely pass as clothing, and the ever-present smell of the sea lingering in his skin. She raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow, "Are you a sailor?" 

"I was one," he said, leaning closer to her as if to tell her a secret, "that is until they stuffed me here." 

"What crimes lead to a sailor being stuffed in a prison meant for rapists and slave traders?" 

"_Sodomy," _ he says as his eyes twinkle in delight, "_Homosexuality. Sexual Deprivation. _ Apparently liking it up the arse is on the same level of sin as selling people. _Ma'am _." 

He adds the last word as an afterthought, and it almost sounds like he is _daring _her to say something. He reminds her of Roger. 

She stands up and turns towards the men behind her. There is a smile ghosting over Roger's lips, and his hands are inching towards the keys strapped to his belt. Brianna gives him a look. They can't possibly break character now, not when they are in front of God knows how many prisoners. 

"I'll be waiting on the boat," she walks past her crewmates, barely acknowledging them, "free him. I've heard poofs have a knack for making good food." 

She left the cave as she heard the rest of the prisoners scream after her. The cacophony of sounds that came from inside was enough to carry outside, making the waves and the storm sound tame in comparison. But she couldn't wait to leave that wretched place, to finally let the facade fall and let her head drop in defeat. Even with the sounds all around her Arthur's words still floated around in her mind, confirming what she had already suspected. 

She heard scuffling, the sounds of someone threatening to bite their hands off if they turned him into a slave, and the rattling of chains. Brianna sighed and turned towards her boys, the same which were bringing a snapping and screaming boy between them. She admired his bite, even if his strategy was not well thought out. 

Once he laid eyes on her, he snarled, "You _bitch. _You preach about bringing justice to whore-traders, but you are just like the rest of them." 

A particularly strong draft of wind made a few strands of loose hair get in her face, and it made the boy shiver. Now that they were standing in the light, she could see that his clothes were in a worse state than she thought they would be in. The linen had turned brown with stains and had several wholes which she was sure she could fit her whole hand through. His hair was a bird's nest, long and dirty, as were his nails and his, barely there, beard. 

He was also painfully thin. The man looked seconds away from breaking, and she didn't want him to damage himself any further while trying to struggle out of Roger and Phoebe's hands. 

"Let him go." 

Roger shook his head, "Bri, he can barely stand. If we let him go, he'd break his knees on the fall." 

"Alright, well," she undid her jacket as she spoke, "Get him on the boat, make sure he doesn't die of hypothermia. Jim prepared some soup for us to eat, make sure he gets my share, anything solid will upset his stomach after so many days without eating anything. I have to make sure that business here is finished." 

She draped her jacket over his shoulders and did the clasp closest to his neck, making the garment cover him like a blanket, she didn't want his hands to get cold, or else she would have helped him put the jacket on correctly. Brianna stared at him for a few seconds before smiling, "Welcome to the crew of the _Queen Jane." _

She walked away then, getting dangerously close to the shore as the other men dragged Freddie towards the boat. 

Freddie stared at the enigmatic woman as she 'finished the business', which apparently involved making a circle of rocks and setting some of them on fire. The scene looked beautiful, with the waves crashing all around her and the rain pouring. The contrast between the ugly colouring on the cave, the emerald shine of the sea, and the white and grey of her garments were rapidly ingrained in his mind. He just hoped he could get his hands on a stencil and acrylic; it was bound to make a beautiful painting. 

There was some rustling beside him, and one of the crewmen sat by his side, offering Freddie a wooden bowl and a spoon. The smell made his eyes water, and he bowed to ask the chef, _ Jim, _if he remembered correctly, to marry him once he got to meet him. He gave the pirate a small smile, "Thank you." 

The blonde gave him a blinding smile in return and Freddie's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know pirates were allowed to be that pretty, "Well, I gotta take care of my new crewmate." 

He heard someone snort behind them, "I'll tell Jim you were flirting." 

"And I'll _dare_ him not to flirt," the blonde snapped back, but Freddie was no longer paying attention. He watched, mesmerised, as an enormous wall of water engulfed the Captain, but as the wave retreated she remained standing, unfazed, seemingly completely dry and the fires still lit. 

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Freddie turned to look at the man and found him staring at the Captain in awe. He traced her movements with his eyes as she moved and danced with the waves. Or rather, the waves seemed to move and dance with her. "There is a truth to what Arthur said. She _is_ a Sea Witch, hence why she knew you weren't really guilty of anything." 

"Homosexuality isn't a sin in your ship then?" 

"We would all be damned if that were the case." 

"Even the Captain?" 

The blonde turned to smile towards him, "_Especially _the Captain. I don't think she's ever laid her eyes on a single man." 

There was another roar of waves crashing upon the rocky shore, a flash of lighting which left him blind for a few seconds, and once his vision returned Brianna May was standing in front of him in all her glory. Somehow, watching her at sea made her three times as imposing as the tales had made her out to be.

Her hair undone from her braid and floating eerily beside her head, the waves crashing every time she took a deep breath, and magic rolling off her in waves. Come what may, the stories which had once sent shivers down his spine seemed to pale at her compassion. However, he could not seem to find it in himself to be scared of the woman, which the blonde quickly rushed towards, wrapping her up in a blanket like a babe, and holding her up when her legs gave up on her. He could only feel awe. 

She curled on the floor of the boat, and they all set to work, making sure that she was covered from the cold and comfortable. She didn't stir or even snore, just laid on the floor looking like a little kid, but radiating more power than any Freddie had ever felt, which meant that Calypso would tremble before the woman in front of him. 

"What _was _she doing?" Is what he found himself asking once everyone was settled back down. The blonde turned towards him, still running his fingers through her hair. 

"Freeing the spirits of those who don't belong here." He pressed a light kiss to her temple and then hoisted himself up to sit beside Freddie, "Many, like you, end up here. But none of them leave." 

"You're saying I'm lucky," he could imagine how the many men and women alike got thrown into that glorified hole for doing something like Freddie had done. He couldn't imagine what it must have felt like, to die of cold or starvation, facing the same fate as the rest of the scum which was sealed up in that tomb. 

"I'm saying she would have freed you anyway, just that it would have taken a longer time." 

Freddie felt the boat move; it unlodged itself from the place it had taken amongst the rocks and sailed away into the sea. For a second, he thought that they were going to die, surely the ginormous waves were bound to smack them against the rocks, or tip over their dory. But then the sea seemed to smooth out, taking them away from the waves and into the sea. He looked over the board and saw that the waves around them were unusually calm and that the water had an unnatural, light blue, glow. 

The blonde turned to look at him with a smirk adorning his face, "I think I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Roger, Roger Taylor." 

Freddie's eyebrows shot up, "Such a nice name for a pirate." 

"Who says I was always a pirate?" 

Freddie's eyebrows climbed higher than they already were, "Mysterious. I like it." 

Roger let out a loud guffaw, and once he settled back down, the pirate resumed the task of stroking Brianna's hair. Freddie could only wonder what the story behind those two was, and how on earth did such beautiful people get to be the most feared pirates of the Seven Seas. He let a small smile ghost over his lips before he covered it with his hand. 

"Well, It's quite rude not to introduce myself," he placed the, now empty bowl aside and extended his hand, "Freddie Mercury, at your service." 

"Freddie Mercury," It was Roger's turn to raise his eyebrows, "like the planet?" 

"No, darling. Like the poison." 

** ☩☩☩ **

The deck of the _Queen Jane _looked the best at night. Johana had made sure of that when they had been re-building the ship. She had insisted that they had to decorate it lavishly because it was were Brianna spent most of her time. In her wife's absence, it had turned bleak, however. Johana wasn't there to fret over the little details or repair that which is broken every battle. As time passes, Brianna has less energy to care about it at all. 

Nowadays she barely goes out at night to stare at the stars. The younger woman would be appalled, but without her Jo by her side, it hardly seems worth it. Now she only went out there at night when she was required, or on the odd trip in which they could hear the mermaids sing their song. 

She pulled the wool blanket tightly around herself and stepped into the deck. Most of her crew was gathered around the mast, telling stories in the dark while they waited for her to arrive. They seemed to at ease, laughing at eating whatever the chefs had prepared for them that night, she didn't want to disturb them, not with her petty problems. 

The wood of the ship creaked and groaned as she leaned on the nearest pole, watching as Roger told a story while waving his hands through the air wildly. She felt her heartstrings pull, and not for the first time wished for her love to be there beside her. Not lost to some ship in the middle of nowhere. The story ended with laughter coming from every single man and woman on board, and she couldn't help but chuckle at Roger's pleased expression. 

A soft breeze pushed her forward, and when she turned around, she found a nymph looking at her with her hands on her hips. If nymphs had expression, this one would look very cross, all because of Brianna's self-inflicted loneliness. She turned back around to look at her crew members, and the spirit pushed her shoulder one more time. 

"Alright, alright," he let out a little giggle as she walked down the stairs, "tell your friend's I've missed their company." 

A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, and that was the only indication that the Nymph had heard her. She made her way down, and once she got close enough for them to see Ratty raised his mug of beer, "Ah Captian! We'd been wondering when you were going to come out." 

"Oh I've been listening for a while now, waiting for the moment Roger started to slander my character." 

The blonde man raised his hands as if to plead innocence, but she could see right through him. The small exchange left the slightly inebriated crew giggling and made Roger sulk off to sit on Jim's lap and bury his face in his neck. Brianna cooed at the soft exchange, which earned her the bird from Roger's part and caused Jim to blush. 

Beach passed her a pint of beer, and she thanked him before sitting down at his feet. Jo would usually call her a house cat, always looking for somewhere warm to lay and someone to pet her— Brianna had never disagreed. 

"Cap' I heard you found something on the whereabouts of miss Johana." 

Something was an understatement. Knowing who had bought her had been something that they had been researching for months, and a slip of the tongue by Arthur had been enough to reveal that information to them. The rest was going to be much easier, "What do you know about the Pearl?" 

"The Pearl?" Jobby asks, "As in the pleasure cruise?" 

She closes her eyes, taking a swig from her beer, "It appears so." 

The crew grows quiet for a while, letting her know that whatever they are thinking it cannot be good. She has heard her own fair share of stories about the Pearl, but she has always chosen to block out the gory details. Maybe this was how the Fates were punishing her for not doing anything about the bloody ship before. 

"Well, Cap' if you want me to be honest—" 

"I always want you to be honest." 

"It's bad, but it's nothing we can't deal with." 

Another bout of silence and then Freddie cleared his throat, "Well dear, I'm going to say it if no one else will. The Pearl keeps its pleasure crew drugged to the tits. Siren tears. Legend has it that they have one siren chained to the basement and she _never _stops crying. It's enough to keep them in a lust haze strong enough for them to become mindless."

She has to bite her lips to stop the tears from falling. 

"But at least she is not in pain, or uncomfortable." 

She shakes her head, "No, that part comes after. Once she is out of the haze, and she realises what she did." 

She turns to look up at the stars; they are shining bright, composing her beloved constellations and guiding them on their journey across the ocean. She just hopes that in her moments of clarity, Johana had seen the stars and thought of her the same way that Brianna did. It was not much to ask for, especially not after knowing what her lover's fate had been, but it made a small spark of hope flicker in her chest. 

"Are we going to have any _other _problems apart from the obvious?" 

This time it was Joe who spoke, not Freddie, "She's not going to want to leave, not unless we offer her ungodly amounts of sex." 

"And even if we get her out," Devenney continued, "The effects wouldn't pass for about a fortnight or so." 

"Well, not all effects," Freddie said, "Lust will begin to dwindle after a few hours, but she will still be mindless, far from the person you know." 

The crew stayed quiet then, waiting for her response. The stars twinkled, unaware of Brianna's disgrace, and the sea lapped gently at the hull of the_ Queen Jane_. She reached for the pendant hanging from her necklace, rubbing the small stone between her fingertips. She traced every wrinkle and blemish, thinking about the day that her Princess had given her the gem. 

Johana with her sweet smile and messy hair. Johana which had climbed up to the tallest rock in the beach to see if she could see the shiniest and prettiest crystal. Johana, who was now drugged out of her mind, probably being used as somebody's cock sleeve for the night. The same Johana, who had been captured because of Brianna's carelessness. 

"Well, we can't really think about looting plans while drunk. We will talk about this tomorrow, alright? For now, I think I'm going to go to sleep. And you all should too." 

But of course, no one did. She wasn't expecting them to. She just wanted time alone to think, to try and reach out to Johana through whatever way possible, just like she had been doing to the past three months or so. And just like every single night, Brianna got nothing in return but the sea lulling her to sleep as she lay in her bed thinking about the empty space beside her. 

It now made sense why she couldn't quite reach out to Johana, the other woman needed her mind to be able to communicate with Brianna. If she had been put under the spell of the Siren's Tears, then there was no magic on earth which might have broken through that haze. She tried picturing her lover beside her, laying on the silk sheet and looking at her with her stormy grey eyes. She tried to imagine them slow-dancing to one of the music boxes they had stolen from Shanghai three summer earlier. She tried to picture them making love in their bed, Johana's legs on her shoulders as Brianna worked her to her orgasm.

None of those things seemed to work, her side of the link flailing pitifully as she tried to look for her other half. She closed her eyes for a second, and the next moment she opened them, she was back Arthur's whore house. 

_ Flames were licking at the Bambu structure around her as she advanced on the shivering man on the floor. He was not who she was looking for, but he would have to do in replacement. Arthur had just fleed the damned building as soon as the first signs of struggle were noticed, and they hadn't been fast enough to catch up to him. _

_ She stepped into his sight, and shivers ran down his spine as he recognised her trademark white boots. People always tended to do that now that she had been named the Queen of the Sea. She had seen Kings gulp at the sight of her and realised that maybe they, like this man, were acutely aware of the blood staining every single inch of her body. _

_ He looked up when she said nothing, right into her cold and cruel stare, which was framed by the signs of battle. Small cuts littered over her face, soot, sweat and blood which was most definitely not hers. She must make quite the sight if the man's reaction is anything to go by. His hands curl into a praying position, and he bows his head once again, "Please, please, I didn't do anything wrong, please." _

_ "Do you know what the Rules of the Sea are?" _

_ She is being cruel, and she knows it. If Johana were to see her right now, she would scream at her about tarnishing her soul and turning into something she is not. But the good thing is that Johana isn't there to yell at her for being merciless. _

_ "I thought the crew of the Queen Jane didn't follow the Rules of the Sea," he whispered as more tears streamed down his face, "I thought none of you killed without reason." _

_ "I don't know why men continue to think that being in a whore house is not a reason." She took one step forward, "You are no better than the men who pick women off the street and _ rape _ them." _

_ He looks at her with fearful eyes, and she unsheaths her sword, "Besides, people can't know that we were here, and Dead Men Tell no Tales." _

She wakes up before she brings down the sword. The sun has already risen, and there is the warmth of a new day starting to seep into her room. She can hear the sounds of the crewmen working away, of Roger, screaming at the top of his lungs to get everyone in place and hear Crystal telling him to go fuck himself every so often. 

She stretches her long limbs, trying to get the sleep to leave her body, and looks over at the bathroom. The door is slightly ajar, and judging by the soft scent of flowers, Dominique has already been there washing, cleaning, and leaving her water so that she can bathe. 

She strips herself of the pyjamas, folding them and placing them under the pillow once she has made her bed. Then she walks into the bathroom and starts her morning routine, as always, by washing her body, her face, and finally, when the water has cooled, washing her hair. It's a long and arduous process, especially when there is no one there to help her with the knots and tangles, or with applying the palm oil balm, she uses to keep her hair in check. Still, after half an hour, she manages to get out of the cramped room. 

She methodically puts her clothes on, her white shirt, her harem pants and finally her white leather boots. She did her hair up the way she knew drove Johana crazy, and then put a bandana over her ears to avoid burning them. There was, after all, not a thing more painful than sunburns on your ears. 

She walked out of her bedroom, saluting every man and woman who walked her way. She walked to the deck and instantly ran into Barbara, who smiled with her crooked teeth and rambled about having to go help Jim in the kitchen. It was chaos, as it always seemed to be, as their preparation for a long voyage started. Ropes and hooks were flying everywhere as Roger screamed at the top of his lungs about the course and wind direction. 

She loved every second of it. 

Brianna walked up the stairs to the Quarterdeck, where her blonde counterpart was mumbling and tracing lines over a map. She slotted herself next to him, bumping their shoulder together and making him look up, "Good morning, m' lady." 

"You let me sleep until late." 

He nodded, "You deserved it." 

"Did I?" She mumbled, "What did I do to deserve that?" 

He looked up, pressing a kiss to her temple, and then stepping around the table to the other side of the map, "Simply existing." 

"Careful," she mumbled, "Jim's gonna get jealous." 

"He sure is. He has been suspecting my love for you ever since we met. He knows I'm just _ that _straight." 

She let a small smile adorn her lips, "I am serious, Rog. You can't let me sleep like that, not when we have so many important things to do." 

"Things that we can do _without _you." He turned around to scream at one of the crewmen then looked back to the map, "If Freddie is right if what the legends say about Siren Tears are right, then finding Johana and getting her out is going to be the easy part. She'll be out of her mind, and then she will let what she did consume her. You know her better than anyone else, you _know _that's exactly was is going to happen." 

She looked at Roger's calculations, and she could see that he had been working on that plan for longer than he let on. Maybe even the whole night. At least she knew she could count on Roger to get things done, especially when it involved Johana. After all, she was his best friend, and Roger's loyalty was not something to be taken lightly. 

"Tell me what to do," she whispered, "I'm not in the right mind to make decisions, much less be a Captain." 

He looked at her in the eyes, blue filling with understanding as he took in her state of disarray, "Go to your library, there has to be something on Siren Tears or at least sirens. You have to be able to find something which can; I don't know, make things a little bit easier for her." 

"Can I at least know what your plans are?" 

He frowned as if he was confused that she didn't already know, but then he remembered that she hadn't been there for a good chunk of the night, or for the first part of the morning. "Of course, of course. Come here; I'll explain everything." 

** ☩☩☩ **

Night fell across the sea on their third day of travelling, and she still hadn't gotten anywhere with her research. It was frustrating how much knowledge was stored in her books, and now in her mind, but how none of it seemed to work. It was useless for their situation. Nothing about Siren Tears or how to combat their effects. Nothing on victims of siren tears. 

They just droned on and on about lust, desire, and false promises of love, but never said anything about it that was actually useful. She flipped through another page, mumbling the last of the sentences and scribbling down whatever she thought might come in useful later on. She heard someone walk down the hall, and she knew that they were going to knock on her door before they did so. 

"Come in!" 

The door creaked on its hinges as Jim stepped into the room, carrying a silver tray with all sorts of food. The smell wafted into the room, reminding her that she had, in fact, not eaten since the day before. The younger man walked into the room, closing the book she was reading and forcing her to focus on her food, which was an ordeal in itself given that every single inch of her dining table seemed to be covered in books. 

However, Jim was resolute on making her eat. It was evident given the amount of food he had brought her. There were goblets which she presumed were filled with wine, teapots and empty cups, as well as piles and piles of sandwiches, scones, cookies, and even a plate filled with freshly cooked fish. She leaned over and grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on. 

She leaned back and groaned as the first bite of scone with butter melted into her mouth, "You and Phoebe are heaven-sent, you know that right?" 

"You only say that because we are not in a battle," Jim chuckled, "If we were all that you would be able to say is curse at us for not knowing how to fight." 

"That is not true," she took a sip from her hot cocoa, then thanked the gods for the Americas, "I'd secretly be very happy about the fact that you are safeguarding our goats and cows." 

There was a heavy silence in which Jim stared at her like he was trying to solve a particularly hard puzzle. He tilted his head like he always did when something was bothering him, "You know that all of this is not your fault, right?" 

She let the cup she was holding rest on the desk and leaned on the plans of her hands, "Did Roger put you up to this?"

Jim chuckled and shook his head, "Roger warned me not to do this unless I wanted to end up banned from speaking to you for a week." 

"Jim—" She sighed, and stood up, walking towards the windows and pulling them open. The salty air streamed into the room, making the pages of the still open books flutter. She let her eyes roam over the horizon, admiring the purple tinge of the recently set sun, and hearing the sounds of waves lapping on the hull with crystal clear quality for the first time in two days, "Do you know why being a Captain is such a hard job?" 

"Is it because you have one hundred smelly men complaining to you every single day?" 

She turned around, leaning on the window frame, "It's because everything that happens inside this ship is my responsibility. Every man that dies, every person we cannot save, every crewman that gets captured, is on me, and the bad decisions I take." 

Jim is staring at her with that curious gaze of his as she speaks. He is unmoving and doesn't say anything for a while, encouraging her to keep talking, so she does. "It was my fault that Tim got captured, my fault that Prenter sold us out, my fault that Ratty lost his eye in that raid, and my fault that Johana was left behind that day." 

"Except it wasn't," he turns his body towards her, "Tim got captured because he decided to go back for that his brother, even if he knew that he was dead already. Prenter sold us out because he was a two-faced bastard, and even then you decided to give him a second chance. Ratty lost his eye because the guard got lucky, nothing else. And Johana, Bri, my lovely, Johana got left behind because she loved you so much she would rather get back to her father's claws that see you at the hands of Achlys."

There was a long silence at the mention of Achlys' name, and Jim stood up walking over to Brianna and cupping her face in one of his large hands, "All of those were decisions that you had no say in. You can't control everything all the time, Bri. You can't." 

She nuzzled into his hand, it smelled of honey and freshly cooked oatmeal, "I wish I could." 

"I wouldn't," he guided her head forward until she was resting on his shoulder, "you would drive us all mad." 

She chuckled, and let her eyes fall shut. She was exhausted, had a raging headache, was hungry beyond imagination, and _lonely. _It had been such a long time since she had seen her wife, such a long time since Johana had curled around her like a small cat, or not letting her sleep because of crafting some trinket or another. 

"You can't expect everything to turn out just like you want it to," Jim said, "life will never be that easy." 

"I know," she whispered, "I just really want her back." 

"We will get her back," He pressed his cheek to her head, "Meanwhile, let's get you something to eat." 

They headed back to the table, Jim lighting all of the torches on the way and giving the room a nice ambience. She settled down and started to eat, waiting for her friend to do the same. "Tell me about the ship, how has she been doing?" 

"Fantastic, as always," Jim answered as he finally lit the last torch, "my garden is doing great, thank you for asking, and so are the animals." 

She let out a small laugh, "How's Betsy?" 

"Missing you," he grabbed one of the empty mugs and served himself some tea, "as always. What is it with you and animals, Brianna? They all seem to adore you." 

She bit into one of the sandwiches and moaned at the taste of fresh lettuce. They hadn't had that since last months when Jim's batch unexpectedly died. Jim chuckled, and she encouraged him to go on with her hand. 

"We are running a bit low of flour, but that's alright, I'm sure we can deal with that. There have been no more injuries since Park fell out of bed and sprained his wrist, so everything is running smoothly. Roger says we will be arriving to Cuba faster than expected since Freddie fixed the main flag almost perfectly." 

"Freddie?" Brianna frowned, "He knows how to sew?" 

Jim nodded, "Amongst other things. But since he isn't strong enough to be a sailor yet, we have forced him to do the light work." 

"I thought I told you not to give him _any _work, Jim!"

There was a loud bang coming from above, and the sound of rolling cannonballs. For a second Brianna found herself ready to spring into action, but then there was the sound of laughter, and Roger screaming at Veronica for being a clumsy idiot. She let her body slump back down on the chair, tension seeping from her muscles almost instantly. Jim put a hand on top of hers. 

"Relax, we aren't making him work, he volunteered. It drives him crazy not to help us after we saved him from that hell hole." 

She stayed quiet for a few seconds. Thinking back to that afternoon, she once again thanked the Gods for her luck. Finding both Arthur and Mercury in the same jail had been a blessing, she just wished that the younger boy wasn't as damaged as he was now. "Does he suspect anything?" 

"Not from us, no," Jim grabbed one of the sandwiches and started nibbling on the corner, "And since the crew doesn't know anything I doubt he will find out before it's time." 

She nodded, bringing close a plate of fish, ready to dig in, "Good, make sure it stays that way. And keep feeding him Hemlock, that should repress anything we don't want until the moment is right." 

There was a light knock on the door as she finished the sentence, and Brianna called them in almost instantly. Freddie stepped into the room, still quite unstable on his feet, and did a quick bow towards Brianna, "Sorry to interrupt, Roger sent me here, said that you needed me." 

She let a small smile adorn her lips, but in the back of her mind, she could only wonder if he had heard any of the conversations they had been having, "Did he also tell you to bow? Oh, that man is ridiculous. Yes, come in, I wanted to ask you some things." 

He walked over and sat down beside Jim, "What is it that you wanted to ask me, Captain?" 

For a second, her mind went completely blank. She knew she _ had _asked the blonde to send Freddie to her quarters, but she couldn't remember what for. Then, her eyes caught on the pendant that Freddie was wearing around his neck, and it all came back. She had only seen that symbol once before, carved in the back of a cove where she had last seen Calypso. 

"How did you know about the Siren Tears, Freddie?" 

His eyes widened for a second, "It's not because I've ever been aboard the Pearl, I swear. I don't condone that kind of stuff." 

"But?" 

"But I know someone who was." 

She nodded, "The only person that ever escaped that ship." 

"You know Calypso," his tone was not accusatory, but rather like he couldn't believe that someone else had had the honour of doing so, "You know her story." 

"Yes and no," she answered as she stirred her cup of wine with her finger, "I do know Calypso, but I didn't want to hear her story. It would have blinded me with rage, I would have ordered my men to attack the Pearl before we were ready to do so, and we would have probably died."

"You want me to tell you her story." 

"Don't spare any details." 

Brianna looked at Freddie, studying him carefully. There were dark bags under his eyes, and his hair seemed awfully limp and lifeless. Just looking at the frail state of the man made her heart clench. If the situation had been different, Freddie would have been healed ages ago, but Jim and Roger had been putting Hemlock on every single one of his meals, which was not helping him heal at all. But she didn't know how powerful Freddie was, the only thing that she did know was that she wasn't keen on finding out in the middle of the Caribean with no way to protect the rest of the crew. Still, she couldn't help but be curious, she really did want to understand what the Oracle had told them all those years ago, and while Freddie had proved himself to be quite useful and loyal, she didn't want to risk it— regardless of whether it was hurting Freddie or not. 

She looked out of the window, and noticed that the first star had appeared on the sky, it was then that Brianna turned to one of her more childish habits. 

_Star light, star bright,_

_First star I see tonight,_

_I wish I may, I wish I might,_

_Have this wish I wish tonight._

Then Freddie started his story. 


	2. vendra una estrella (a hacerte compañia)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuse for how late this is. I am sorry. 
> 
> Also, this is going to be so much longer than I expected it to be so the chapter number for now will be unknown

The unlit lamp above their bed rocked softly in time with the slapping of the waves on the hull. The sea had been particularly rough for the past couple of hours. While he trusted Crystal to manoeuvre them out of the storm, Roger hadn't been able to fall asleep. He liked to blame it on the fact that there was a clear storm outside, and that the sailing conditions weren't the best. Still, he had slept through Typhoons before, and pretending that was the only reason seemed silly. 

He rubbed his eyes, trying to coax them into staying closed, but at the slightest tug in the bond between him and Brianna he had no other option but to open them, straining his ear to see if her silent tears turned into full-blown sobbing and hyperventilating. He knew today was going to be particularly hard, he just didn't expect for it to affect her so much, even in her sleep. 

The Familiar kept his eyes trained on the ceiling, tracing the cracks and splinters of the dark wood, watching the ever-changing shadows cast by the objects around the room and the storm outside, and praying for the 19th of August to be over before it even began. It had to be the first time in at least ten years that they hadn't celebrated Johana's birthday with her. While heartbreaking, it wouldn't have been as distressing if she had been in one of her usual reconnaissance missions. Instead, her birthday seemed to serve as an ugly reminder of the situation they found themselves in, or rather the situation Johana found herself in. 

He felt the bed shift beside him, and felt as Jim draped an arm over his midsection, pressing himself close, "Your thinking is not letting me sleep." 

He let out a soft chuckle, turning himself to face the other man, "I'm sorry, love. I'm just worried about Brianna." 

In the semi-darkness, he could see Jim frown and open his eyes. He scanned Roger's face, who, in turn, was worrying his lip between his teeth. It pained the older man to see his lover in such a state of worry. Still, it made sense considering that the Familiar had a particularly strong bond with his Witch. 

Jim leaned over to tuck a strand of hair behind Roger's ear, "You could always go to her." 

Roger wrinkled his nose, "And leave you alone? No, what kind of husband would I be if I did that?" 

"The man I fell in love with," Jim said, "Now go. She needs you more than I do." 

Roger stares at his husband for a few seconds more, waiting for any indication that he was actually joking or that he didn't feel comfortable with him going to Brianna's side, but that never came. The blonde breathed in, grounding himself before willing his body to become smaller, for fur to grow all over his body. In a matter of second, there was a sand-coloured cat with big blue eyes staring back at Jim in the place of his husband. 

It tilted his head to the side and mewed once, then Jim reached over to scratch behind his ear, "Go, she is waiting for you." 

Walking around as a cat is somehow more freeing than walking around like a human. It is weird to try and explain how it feels to be a feline. Still, there is just something absolutely fascinating about being able to hear every little creak and groan of the ship, see everything beyond what he would typically see as a human, and feel absolutely invincible. 

Roger doesn't get to enjoy these feeling at the moment, he is far too preoccupied about getting to Brianna's room to do anything he would usually do when he gets some time in his Familiar skin. He slips into the room, closing the door with the end of his tail as he goes in and then looking around as if to make sure there is nothing threatening inside His Witch's room. 

There seems to be nothing off, a few strewn clothes, a half-burned candle and an open book on Brianna's bedside table. She is whimpering and tossing around in bed as she sleeps, making the bed creak and straining her neck as if to get away from the soft glow coming from the necklace hanging around her neck. He cocks his head, he didn't remember Brianna's necklace ever glowing like that. 

Roger jumps on the bed and walks over to where she is sleeping at. As he steps lightly on her chest, she settles down; however, the light only seems to intensify. He leans forward, nose almost touching the stone and notices that it is not only glowing but also pleasantly warm. It is more than just inviting, he seems to be entranced by the pinkish hue and the oddly swirling patterns inside of it. Against his better judgement, he leans forward and nuzzles the stone, and gets thrown back by the sheer force of the magic that it contains. 

_ When Roger opens his eyes, he is no longer in his cat form, neither is he in Brianna's room. The walls around him are covered in red velvet, and the faint light that decorates the room is given by dozens, if not thousands, of firefly like bugs flying all around the room. Right in the middle is a nest of white and gold silk where two bodies lying side by side. At first, he cannot make out who they are, but as he strains his eyes more, he finds himself looking at Johana. _

_ She looks beautiful in a way that she had never looked before. Hair falling past her shoulders in soft waves, skin perfectly clear and looking decently tanned, muscles lean and svelte, and lips full and inviting. She looks like a dream and Roger can't look away. Beauty caused by Siren Tears is rare but not unheard of, and Johana seems to be the recipient of that trait. _

_ She is decorated countless pieces of jewellery over a white chiffon dress, and tattooed all over her arms and legs are beautiful flower patters that seem to shift and change with the light. If Brianna were to see her, she would break down crying. Roger's best friend looks so beautiful, but so not her that it hurts. _

_ It is only after the person beside Johana speaks that he focuses on them. He looks oddly like someone he is supposed to know, but he can't quite place who that person is supposed to be. He has a black collar and black nail polish, but apart from that, he is pretty much absolutely naked. He also doesn't make an attempt to touch Johana, even if she looks out of her mind with lust and hunger for the handsome stranger in front of her. _

_ "I need you to focus on me, Johana, did he tell you anything else?" _

_ She let a sultry giggle, but that didn't make Roger's stomach churn half as much as Johana's answer, "Apart from saying that I was a fantastic fuck? That I'd made him come faster than anyone else?" _

_ "Yes, darling," he sighed at tapped her cheek twice, "Focus, dear. Anything non-sexual?" _

_ "You're boring," she pouted, turning so that she was laying on her back staring at the ceiling, "Yes, he did tell me somethings. Apparently, he needed to talk to someone too stupid to remember what he was going on about. Which is a load of bullshit, I like to think of meself as smart. When I want to be." _

_ "Yes, dear, I know you are smart. Now, what did he tell you?" _

_ "Thank you," she smiled, as if content with the praise, then kept talking, "He told me that there is going to be a surprise waiting for the crew of the Queen Jane when they get to Cuba. Something to do with a man called Frankie Jupiter and boundary magic." _

_ "Frankie Jupiter?" _

_ "Or something like that. I'm not really good with names." _

_ Not Frankie Jupiter, Roger wanted to scream, Freddie Mercury. The man beside Johana frowned, then sat up, and from behind his curtain of hair, Roger could clearly see the man in question. Freddie looked at him for the first time in the conversation, eyes wide as plates as he reached the same realisation as Roger had a few seconds before. _

_ "Roger, _wake up." 

He does as the ship lurches with a surprising strength that sends him tumbling towards Brianna's bed. He slams into it, making the whole structure shake and Brianna practically bolt out of her slumber. He wills himself to turn into his human shape and scrambles up so that Brianna sees it's him, not some robber or assassin. 

"Roger?" She throws the covers off herself, "What are you doing here?" 

The ship slams against the water again with enough force to send the blonde flying for a few seconds. Once he lands, he steadies himself, he didn't remember the storm being this bad last time he was awake. "We need to get out of here." 

He runs out of the room with lighting speed, holding on to the walls and railings as he struggled to get out of the quarters and into the deck. The storm outside was making torrents of water flood into the rooms, making it all the harder for Roger to get to the deck. Regardless he kept going. 

He burst through the doors with enough strength to break them off their hinges, and struggled through wet wood and badly washed grease stains until he got to where Crystal was at, holding on to the wheel for dear life. The wind was howling, threatening to rip away both men and throw them into the unforgiving sea, and the icy cold rain felt like needles piercing their skin. Roger reached over, putting both hands on top of where Crystal was holding on to, trying to ensure that his mate wouldn't be pushed off the edge by a monster wave or something similar. 

"What are we supposed to do now?" 

Roger could barely hear Crystal through all of the noise. Still, he had had enough experience with lip-reading to understand what the other man was trying to say. 

"We need to get as far away from Cuba as we can," he used what little magic he possessed to make sure the other man would hear him, "Go in the direction of the current, I don't give two shits where we end up, just help me get us away from here." 

Crystal shook his head, "I've tried that already, boss. There seems to be no current." 

He turned in the direction of the door that leads towards the quarters, wondering why on earth Brianna hadn't followed him out into the deck. She might have been grieving, but this was her bloody fucking ship. She was needed for God's sake.

Then he spotted her. 

He hadn't been able to see her because the whole storm seemed to the centred on her more than it was on the rest of the ship. It assaulted her with a strength that was definitely paranormal, ripping items of clothing away from her figure, wiping her hair in different directions and forcing her to her knees. She valiantly fought against it, blue light shooting out of her hands and pouring out of her eyes like tears as she tried to keep it away, but it just seemed so damn much. 

An unusually large wave came over the side of the ship and for a second Roger was sure she had been swallowed by the ocean. Then she resurfaced, and their eyes met across the ship, Roger couldn't help but be slightly disturbed by the odd colouring of her eyes and the way that they look absolutely emotionless, "I can't do anything, it's ancient magic." 

He feels panic seep into his bones, "Ancient magic? Are you sure?" 

Another wave threatens to swallow her whole, and the ship groans and creaks with how much strain it puts on the already slightly damaged wood, "I can't fight it alone. Tell everyone they have to row with me." 

He turns towards Crystal, vision blurry from the amount of water pouring down his face, "You can hold this, right?" 

The sailor nods and Roger runs off to get everyone he can. The ruckus upstairs, thankfully, is enough to get everyone out of the beds even before Roger gets to the quarters. They are all lined up in with their backs to the walls, waiting for someone upstairs to order them. 

"Get to the orlop deck!" Some scramble, some are much slower to react, some even dare to groan, and Roger feels like seething, "_ Now! _ It was _ not _a suggestion." 

He trudges forward making way through the sea of men and women who are dutifully making their way down to the oars and makes a bee-line for his bedroom. Jim is there, Jim should _ be _there, and he is making sure that he won't miss his husband. He flings the doors open and finds the room in complete disarray. There are things thrown everywhere, probably from when the ship lurched, and right in the middle of everything is his husband. 

The relief Roger feels is tangible, "Jim, I need you to find Freddie." 

"Roger, the oars—" 

"There are at least one hundred people down there, they will make it work, I need you to find Freddie. Take him to Brianna, she's at the deck."

Jim's brown eyes set into what he knows is a look of pure determination. Still, he hesitates for a moment, "And you?" 

"I'll be with you in a second." 

He doesn't wait for Jim's answer and runs for the staircase that leads down into the orlop deck. The stairs creak under him, and the lurch of the ship sends him slamming against one of the walls, but after a minute or so of struggling he gets there. Everyone is already setting themselves up, putting magnesium in their hands and wrapping them with leather by the time he gets there. He claps his hands twice and the torches all around the room light up. 

"Alright everyone, full power!" 

Starting is always hard, even more so when everyone was just woken up, but they need to get out of there immediately. Roger makes quick work of bandaging his hands and applying magnesium before he joins one of his men in rowing. It seems particularly hard today, and after two rows he is already exhausted, it must be the water working against them, it must be something wanting to keep them here because he has never ever felt the oars get stuck like they were getting at the moment. 

Three more agonising minutes go by in which some of the crew members have already started to scream and groan in protest of the amount of work they have to do, but none of them stops. Then four minutes more pass and the orlop deck is filled with a blinding white light. The storm outside has stopped all of a sudden, the waves are calm, and the previously tense atmosphere becomes calm. Roger allows himself to breathe, thanking the Gods for Freddie being on the ship, even if he was one of the reasons they had been attacked by the storm. Brian's magic is so much stronger when they are around him. 

There are awful creaking and groaning sounds which send chills down Roger's spine, and send his senses into overdrive.

Then, water starts to flood into the orlop deck. 

** ☩☩☩ **

Jim had been running down the corridors at top speed when he bumped into Freddie. His eyes were unfocused, his skin pale and his raven hair rucked into a complete mess. He looks like he hasn't slept for at least a thousand years, but Jim knows better, Hemlock is too strong of a drug for anyone to resist. 

He grabs the older man by the shoulders and breathes a sigh of relief, "Come quick. You are needed at the deck." 

"At deck?" He mumbles as he rubs his sleepy eyes, "In this weather? Are you sure we can't wait until later?" 

Jim makes Freddie look up and sees that his pupils have not returned to their original colour but remain a deep burgundy. He curses at himself for putting so much Hemlock in Freddie's soup before they went to sleep, he had probably miscalculated, and now Freddie was much too drowsy to be helpful in the slightest. Still, he has a task to do, and maybe the cold rain will wake him up sufficiently for whatever Brianna needs him. 

They make their way through the corridors and up the slippery steps, and once they reach deck, Jim realises that the storm is much worse than what he had initially imagined it would be. The rain falls in massive sheets and doesn't allow him to see more than a few meters in front of him, and doesn't allow him to see more than a few meters in front of him. The wind is basically pushing against them as he tries to go out and look for Brianna. 

He can make out her shape vaguely every few seconds when random bursts of light spring out of her hands, but not much else. He is terrified of what is waiting for them once they cross the door. Still, he also knows that Roger, and Brianna, are not ones to put them through unnecessary risks for nothing. He grabs hold of Freddie's arm and starts to trudge forward.

Jim makes a point of stopping every time he can't see where Brianna is at. Still, soon enough they have covered the stretch between the quarters and were Brianna is, valiantly fighting against the rising tide and hellish winds. Brianna turns towards them, and with a swift motion of her hands, they are surrounded by a protective cocoon the same colour as the liquid pouring out of her Captain's eyes. 

She looks exhausted but regardless gives them both a smile, "Thank you, Jim. I don't think I can do this without him." 

He shakes his head, "Anything for the ship, Bri. Just make sure we get out of here safely." 

"I will," She leans over to touch Freddie's forehead, waking him entirely out of his slumber, "how is Roger doing down there? Are we at full power." 

"Aye aye," Jim says, "Everyone who isn't here is down there, rowing."

It is then that The fog in Freddie's brain seems to lift completely, he looks around the sphere, gawking like a little kid and making Jim's heart beat a little bit faster. But they don't have time for him to enjoy the moment, soon Brianna is shaking him out of his trance-like state. 

"Jim, tie the wheel so that we head to our five o'clock and get Crystal downstairs, make sure both of you are safe."

He nods and knocks three times on the field around him to make it respond, then he steps into the roaring storm outside. The Captain finally turns around towards Freddie, only to find him set with a look of determination in his eyes. 

"I need you to do something for me, Freddie, and you are not going to like it." 

That does make him falter a bit, but the look is back as fast as it left. 

"Think about the moment you have felt the angriest in. Don't stop thinking about it."

He furrows his brows, "What for?" 

She shakes her head, "It doesn't matter. Just trust me."

She turns away from him and the starts to run her hands in odd patterns and shapes across the dome surrounding them. He sees Jim and Crystal sprint beside them, and once they are gone, Brianna speeds up with whatever she is doing.

Freddie is too caught up in watching her and for a moment forgets what she had told him to do, but once she turns back to glare at him for not doing as instructed he shuts his eyes and starts to think. 

It's actually quite easy to picture that moment in his life where he had been the angriest at someone, and it hadn't been all that long ago either. 

He was standing right outside Calypso's cave in the memory, waiting to hear the verdict of the Witch on what had caused him to arrive at the deserted island. He had waited for minutes, if not hours, for her to come out, hearing that the whispers of a thousand spirits echo around the rocky island and keep him company meanwhile.

He is scared and defenceless back then, mainly because he can't remember much of anything beside waking up on the island and realising that there was only one other person for miles and miles. Somehow, he reasons, it would be much better if he was able to at least remember who he was. It would make everything much less daunting than it is. He would have somewhere to return when he got out of the island, someone to guide him, nurture him back to health, maybe even love him. But for the time being, he has nothing but Calypso. 

She comes out after a while; long, blonde, hair tied in a neat ponytail, ceremonial robes covering her entire body, and the air around her still buzzing with electricity and the magic which had irradiated from her spell. He perks up, practically tripping over himself to get to her, to finally have an answer. But as he steps closer, he realises that her expression is sad more than anything. 

"Calypso?" he takes one more tentative step forward, "What did they say, darling?" 

She sighs and extended her hands towards Freddie, who takes them with no hesitation, the looks at him with sad eyes, "I can't see anything, Freddie. Not before the time that you washed up on shore." 

In his memory, he remembers seeing red and cursing at spirits for taking everything away from him. That is if he even had something before this and that he wasn't some pawn created by the gods to make sure that some little plan was put into action, and in real life, he feels all that anger explode. 

He feels the coiling heat beneath his skin, the feeling of crushed ribs pressing down on his chest and tears brim his eyes in anger.

He doesn't even remember being so angry back then. But then, the heat fades out, and the dome around them shatters like thousands of pieces being thrown into the air and implying everything in their way. Spirits that Freddie hadn't been able to see before that kept them from advancing, waves that threaten to tip over their ship and dark and stormy clouds all around them. The light blue crystals hit into them, creating the sound of gunshots and fireworks being detonated, and then it all stops. 

He looks around the sea and finds it's unusually calm for what he had seen earlier, and then notices that there seems to be not a single cloud on the sky. He turns towards Brianna who looks ready to drop dead from exhaustion and holds her up before she can collapse. 

He holds her head between his hands and kisses her forehead, sloppily, "Darling, you are a genius! I think you've saved us all." 

She smiles drunkenly then lays her head on Freddie's shoulder, "I hate dealing with Ancient Magic. It drains me." 

Freddie makes sure to have a much stronger grip on her, "It's alright, we'll get you to bed in no time, then you can sleep until we arrive at Havana to—" 

There is the thunderous sound of dozens of men running on wood, and several screams and shouts from all around the ship before Freddie can finish delivering his encouraging words. He can hear someone barking orders and many others making a mess out of the peaceful moment she had created. Roger comes bursting through the door, panting as his hair flies in a thousand different directions and sweat covers his forehead.

He stops right in front of them and tries to catch his breath as best as he can, "We are sinking." 

** ☩☩☩ **

Outside the cave, the rain is falling lightly, amplified by the sounds of it hitting not only the ground but also the millions of trees all around it. She had chosen this particular cave, tucked away in the middle of her forest because it was practically untouched by magic. That's exactly what she needed if she wanted to be safe. 

Calypso stepped into the cave, lowering her satchel to the ground and looking around. It was relatively small, nothing more than a five-by-five meter open space with dust floors and moss lining the rock walls. She was a little worried about the humidity in the air. Still, she didn't think it would be quite enough to make it hard for her to start the fire she needed, or that the composition of her brew would change.  _ That  _ would be catastrophic. 

The first thing she did was line the cave with salt circles. Three were not the required, just one would normally do, but she was cautious with demons, especially one as dangerous as this one. Once she was done with that, she started to make the fire pit, digging the hole and placing the stones and runes all around it. 

Finally, she turned back towards her satchel and started to take out everything she needed for the summoning. Achlys' summoning is a very peculiar rite, with dozens of intricacies and safety triggers to ensure that she wouldn't end up in a ditch suffering from side effects of exposure to her magic. A cold gust of wind makes her hair flutter, and she turns towards the entrance of the cave, trying to decide if the forest is trying to warn her against doing something so stupid. 

However, she can't risk  _ not  _ doing the spell either. She needs Achlys help, now more than ever. 

Calypso takes a deep breath to steady her nerves and turns back to the fire pit. All of the seven ingredients for the summoning spell are laid neatly on the floor in order, and she leans down to grab the first of the seven elements. Seven pieces of bark from different types of trees are inside a silk bag with a neat knot to keep it from opening. She takes them out, placing the bark on the centre of the pit in the mimicry of a flower, then she puts the silk in the middle of her arrangement. 

The incantation is ancient and, if memory doesn't fail Calypso, it's written in Aramaic. She can't really remember much apart from the summoning spell which has been ingrained in her brain ever since she was taught it, demons spells have that trick, once you learn them, you can't really forget. Slowly the silk bag starts to let out smoke as if someone has placed a candle underneath it and is waiting for the fire to slowly consume it.

_ Wood that feeds the fire; _

It won't be long until the flames start to rise, and it's then that she will have to add the second element. But for now, she is content with watching the silk bag crumble as the first tongues of fire lick at the seven pieces of wood, making embers rise into the air. She reaches over to the second element once the fire is fully ranging, she drops the droplets of sand into her hand, chants a few words and blows them into the fire. It turns bright yellow, in comparison to the warm orange that had filled the cave seconds before. 

_ Fire creates earth;  _

_ Earth holds metals;  _

She watches as the salt turns into shiny clumps of metal. That is her cue, and Calypso grabs the knife that had been on the floor and cuts open her palm. The blood droplets fall into the fire with a hissing sound as she starts to chant once again, calling for the elements of the earth to open the gate between the living and the dead, hell and earth, to bring in what should never be brought it at all. 

_ Metal collects water; _

The rain outside becomes near deafening as soon as the seventh drop of blood falls upon the fire, and the flames turn a deep purple, flooding the room with the putrid smell of decomposition and sulphur. She tries not to wince, fully convinced that anything she might do will have a consequence on how the Harbinger of Death will treat her and answer her questions. 

Finally, she turns towards the runes surrounding the pit. Runes which were starting to become restless as they tried to contain the magic which had been summoned from the depths of hell. Calypso extends her hands over the fire and begins to chant once again. At first, nothing seems to happen, but then the ground starts to rumble as if an earthquake had struck her home, making small fragments of rocks and dust fall from the ceiling, coating the ground in a thin layer of soil. 

The earth rumbles beneath her feet, as water pours down mercilessly from the sky, the wind howls and fire crackles underneath her palms. Then, it all stops. 

The earth freezes around her as Achlys steps into the human world, looking around the cave with her beady eyes and upturned nose trying to understand who had taken her out of her duties. She is ready to bring Hell on however deemed themselves worthy, but then her eyes landed on Calypso. It's not that she has a soft spot for that Witch and only her, Achlys loves all of her children equally, but Calypso is particularly fond of talking with Achlys and reminding her that, just like every Witch in the land, she owes her soul to the demon. 

Achlys takes a step forward, alerting the girl of her presence, and she turns around. She eyes take a few seconds to adjust to the darkness that surrounds the form of Achlys, but once they settle on her face, she can make everything else out. He wrinkles skin, crooked nose, thin lips and black, lace, dress which hangs off her unflatteringly. Around her is a thick cloud of smoke that slowly surrounds the cave, however, the salt lines that Calypso had made around her protect the Witch from being swallowed into the dark mist. The blonde bows her head out of respect, "Princess Achlys." 

The demoness tuts, taking a set into the salt circle, leaving behind her magic. In this state, she is but a human. However, she has learned to trust Calypso just enough for the girl not to kill her, "I've told you many times before, child. Just Achlys will do." 

The younger woman nods, then take a step forward, "I need your help." 

"I would guess so," she raises an eyebrow, "no one would be foolish enough to summon me just to waste my time." 

The blonde takes one step towards the demon, "It's about The May Clan. Something has happened to them." 

"What do you mean by that child?" The demon sneers, "They are under my protection, nothing can hurt them." 

"Well, something did," She weives a small incantation in front of them, making the image of the dehydrated and beaten Freddie appear in front of them, "Someone, or something, has severed the Mage from his Clan." 

"Bah," The demon waves a hand to dissipate the image, "This is just trickery girl. There is no way something like that can dissolve, much less be severed. What are your real motives?"

Irritation creeps up her spine as the old hag questions her as if she was foolish enough to try to trick Lady Death. She lets out a huff of annoyance and reaches down for some dirt with her bloodied palm. The incantation is easy, only a few words in Latin rather than a prose in Aramaic, and when she throws the dirt into the air Achlys eyes follow. It forms into four separate dust clouds, three of them which seem connected, one which is drifting away. It shakes and shifts its shape as if trying to find a way to fit into the equation, but something doesn't seem quite right. There appears to be a piece of him missing. 

"Do you believe me yet?" Calypso blows the dirt away, all which falls down to the ground unceremoniously and then turns towards Achlys. She had expected to see the demon furious at the fact that she had been wrong, maybe even annoyed that the bond she had so carefully crafted for so many years had been severed; instead, she looks  _ terrified.  _ All of the colour has drained from her face, and her eyes stare at where the dust is now settling back with the rest. Something akin to pure terror started to claw at Calypso's heart. 

"What is it, Achlys?" 

The demoness looks at her and instantly extends her hands as if to beckon the woman to grab them, so she does, "You've met him, yes?" 

"Who, Freddie Mercury? Yes, he got stranded here four years ago. I had been trying to understand what had been wrong with his bond and— I just realised." 

The older woman turned, lips pursed and hands curled into fists, "I should have felt it. I should have known." 

Calypso shakes her head, "It doesn't matter now, Achlys. The only thing that matter is that if we want to have the Prophecy back in motion, we have to get the bond back, they have to be at the top of their game for it to follow the path we want it to follow." 

"Yes, I know that child," she hisses, "I'm well aware of the consequences. But that's not what I am worried about. There are very few entities who can sever a bond so cleanly and without me noticing." 

There was a crack of thunder outside that shook the cave, the sound made her jump, not having had the little warning that lighting gave her because of the thick mist that surrounded the entrance. It almost felt like some sort of foreshadowing, an omen that had come from the heavens above, even if Heaven seldom got involved with matters of Hell. 

"I'm going to plead for permission for you to get out of this island Calypso. I'm sure someone upstairs will understand. I need you to look into this to the best of your habilities and make sure that they don't get separated. Not now that they are so close to being together once again." 

Something churned at the thought of being given permission to leave the island, something which had never happened before. This place, as much as she considered it a paradise, was a prison in its own way. There was nothing that would make her want to stay. However, she could feel something dark brewing in the horizon, and she didn't want to be the one who encounters it, much less faces it. Something with the power to make a bond disappear without the creator noticing was not someone the blonde wanted to meet. 

However, she thought about the crew of the Queen Jane and thought about Freddie. She had been foolish not only to let him go but hide the truth from him. She can only hope that Brianna and Roger, in Johana's absence, had been intelligent enough to reveal what they knew about Freddie to the older man, otherwise without Freddie's contribution to Brianna's powers they would die; sooner rather than later. 

Still, she had many questions, "What are you going to do in the meantime? Apart from asking for my permission to leave, of course." 

"I am going to look for the one who did this. I am going to find out why. Although, I already have some idea of what it might have been for."

Their eyes met, golden irises meeting deep red, and for the first time in several millenia, Calypso saw a demon who looked scared. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, Kudos, and Feedback are greatly appreciated!


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